The present invention relates to an actuating mechanism for a pivotably mounted actuating arm, in particular for driving a flap of a piece of furniture. The actuating mechanism includes a spring device having a spring-loaded setting member and a transmission mechanism which converts the movement of the setting member into a pivoting movement of the actuating arm.
Actuating mechanisms of this type are known in the art in many designs and serve chiefly to move flaps or lifting doors of furniture which are mounted on a horizontal pivoting axis, from the closed position into an open position or in the opposite direction, and to retain the flap in a certain position. For example, DE 26 53 106 A discloses a flap holder of this type, which has two actuating arms acted upon by a spring device. Two cam sections of different design on an actuating arm end run off at a contact face on the second actuating arm. A technical refinement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,411, which discloses a flap holder with a pivoting flap, in which a spring-loaded setting part is directly coupled via a rigid connecting arm to a pivoting actuating arm. A translational movement of the setting part is thereby converted into a rotational movement of the actuating arm, which in turn moves the furniture flap into its open or closed position respectively. German published application DE 101 45 856 shows a folding lid for a cupboard, in which a spring-loaded setting part runs off at a setting contour of a cam, which in turn is coupled with an actuating arm to move the furniture flap.
Despite the advantageous technical improvements of the aforementioned publications, one fact, for example, proves to be disadvantageous. Namely, it has emerged that when furniture flaps of different weights are used, the same actuating process takes place. Lighter furniture flaps are moved or damped by the same spring force as heavier furniture flaps, so it is not possible to guarantee a favorable movement or damping process corresponding to the different weight of the furniture flaps.